Researchers believe the ruins were likely built by the Lordship of Metztitlán, also known as the “Metzca lordship,” a multiethnic culture that lived in the Sierra Alta area of Hidalgo during the Epiclassic (650-950 CE) and Late Postclassic (1350-1519 CE) eras. In Wednesday’s announcement, Héctor Labra Chávez, Director of Tourism for San Agustín Metzquititlán, explained that there were “no known remnants of pre-Hispanic civilizations in this immediate area” prior to the San Miguel site discovery, and that “Deeper studies are essential to uncover the cultural context of this significant find.”